The development of a truck scale management system for the sugar industry in Trinidad and Tobago

Summary

The paper reviews a project on the development of a Truck Scale Management System (TSMS) for Caroni (1975) Limited, a State Enterprise which is seeking to improve efficiency and consequently reduce costs in its operation.

The paper also provides a background on factors which significantly affect process automation. The most important of these relate to the lack of awareness by top management of the varied use and benefits of microelectronics and information technology, shortage of relevant human resources and insufficient investment incentives.

Automation of the weighbridge was given high priority by Caroni's decision makers because of allegations of falsification of weights, the inability to get timely and adequate information for decision making and the labour intensiveness of the manual system. A project was undertaken to design, procure, install, commission and operate an unmanned TSMS at both factories using local personnel to execute the project. Caroni formed a multi‐disciplinary team from in‐house, a publicly funded research institution and a local supplier. The team designed the system (providing a number of options), assessed the technology, acquired a number of microprocessor‐based modules including load cell technology, bar code technology, magnetic card readers and modems, and implemented the system as two separate pilots. Software was developed by Caroni to integrate all these systems. The team was successful in demonstrating the fully automated system under crop conditions but it has not been implemented in completeness as the decision makers required additional trials.

Cane operators were trained in keyboard data entry and the users, including contractors, were taken through the procedures before the system was put on stream. Caroni has organized training programmes involving this new technology for its engineers and technicians, aimed mainly at integrating new technologies with existing skills. The system could be commercialized. One cane producing country has shown interest in acquiring the technology. It is possible to package the system and target it for applications in activities such as grain and cement weight controls.

Some of the spin‐offs from the experience gained from the project include the automation of Caroni's juice scales at both factories, proposed automation of the juice clarification, evaporation and sugar boiling, and automation of the laboratories.

The system has gained acceptance by all those who interfaced with it. Caroni has had no adverse reaction to the TSMS from the workers but for future automation projects would have to develop strategies of redeployment and retraining to avoid the backlash of resentment and opposition which could hinder progress.